The Dragonborn Chronicles Part 1
by lonewolf352
Summary: This is a teaser for the story i am currently working on. The next post for this will be when i have completely finished working on part 1.
1. Chapter 1

"My King, there have been many reports of strange lights inside wolf skull cave. Also there have been many travelers disappearing along the road between here and Dragon's Bridge. The villagers are asking that you send someone to investigate the disturbances, they are terrified that something very wrong is happening in that cave, the air in the woods fills ones heart with dread. They wish for your protection."

Raynor listened to his father address the high king of Skyrim and Jarl of Haafingar about the problems of our village. He stood towards the back of the court, feeling very uncomfortable surrounded by all the dressed up advisors, thanes, and high born citizens of Solitude. The only individuals not dressed in finery was my father, a couple of housecarls, and myself. The room screamed wealth, he couldn't help but think that there were very few in the room who understood what it meant to struggle to survive. Of course, he thought, the feeling probably wasn't helped by the fact that he was wearing a simple grey tunic with brown breeches and boots with a sword on his waist. There were very few others that were armed, and most of them were guards.

Raynor happened to be watching the room at large as his father finished delivering his request to the King and so he noticed a young woman enter the room from the palace living quarters. She wore a simple yet elegant red dress, the color of the hold, and no her head she wore a copper circlet with three rubies fastened to it. Her long, mahogany hair was pulled back into a braid that fell past her shoulders, and her soft, grey eyes met his for just a moment before she walked over to the Queen and stood next to her. Raynor's eyes were glued to her the entire time. All he could think was how beautiful she was.

He mentally shook himself and refocused on the King, who was now addressing his father. "I am sorry captain but with the tension between the holds, I don't have the men to spare with searching the cave, I will do what I can to protect the citizens of Dragon's Bridge, I can increase the road patrols and I might be able to divert some more guards to the village."

"But your highness, my scrying would have revealed something, it's likely just superstitious nonsense." A hooded women who was obviously the court wizard interrupted.

"I have to agree with Sybille your highness." Faulk Firebeard, the king's steward, spoke up.

Before the king could respond, Raynor stepped forward "So send me. I can investigate the cave and return with my findings so if it is nothing, then you haven't wasted your own soldiers, but if there is something in the cave, who or what is in there won't be left to cause harm to your people." He stood in the center of the court, and the room went silent at his interruption. Je felt every eye in the room locked on him, and he fought to maintain his confidence so as not to falter in front of so many. He had finally found his chance to prove himself.

"And who is this captain?" Faulk asked, turning to my father.

"Sir, this is my son, Raynor." He answered, attempting to move in front.

"Do you feel he is capable to complete the task?" The king questioned, and all the eyes in the room darted between the four.

"Your Highness…." Captain Hall said, staring at his boots "I…. Yes, your majesty but I…."

The King waved his hand for Hall to be silent and the captain froze, refusing to look at the king. "So the matter is settled, Raynor shall investigate the cave. Speak to Faulk for your instructions." The king dismissed to issue and turned his attention to his thanes and his other captains, listening to various reports on troop strength and patrol plans.

Raynor began to let out a sigh of relief and stopped when his father turned to face him. Hall was livid. "What were you thinking?" He asked sternly. "Interrupting the king's court and do you have any idea what you just volunteered for?"

Before he could continue or Raynor could respond, the steward walked over to the pair. "That was a brave thing young man." He directed at Raynor "Before you leave, you should know the history of that cave. It was one Queen Potema's lairs were she performed he experiments in necromancy. That was five hundred years ago but there are still many who insist that the cave is haunted. If it wasn't for the tension between the holds, I would send at least a dozen guards with you." He sighed before continuing. "But what with events in Skyrim, I can't spare the men to chase down rumors so I have no choice but to send you alone."

As he finished, someone spoke behind him, "No Faulk, not alone." The three turned to see the young woman who Raynor had watched enter the room.

"Lady Bryna, King Toryyg would never…" Faulk's face paled and he started to say before being interrupted.

"If he didn't want me to rush off into danger, than he shouldn't have named me one of his thanes. He did, so I am making the choice to join, I'm sorry Raynor was it?"

"Yes M'lady, Raynor, son of Hall."

"Then I shall be accompanying you Raynor son of Hall to Wolf Skull. I will bring Jordis with me, so you know I will be adequately protected. Now if you will excuse me, I will need to see to provisions and gear." At that, the young woman turned and left, the three of them just stared after her, completely shocked by the conversation.

"Forgive me for asking, but who was that?" Raynor asked after a full minute of silence.

"That was Lady Bryna, daughter of the late thane Jormuunder and Ward of High King Toryyg." Faulk responded.

Bryna inwardly smiled as she entered the halls leading to her chambers, the expression on Faulk's face was priceless, as was the shock on the faces of Captain Hall and his rather handsome son. "Well that went well." She said to the empty hall and laughed.

As she made her way down the hall, she began to wonder at the young warrior Raynor, was he truly capable of fulfilling the task or was he just a rash and overconfident youth. Of course, she thought, they might be thinking the same thing about me. Regardless, this was her chance to prove her honor as a thane, to prove that she was worthy of the title. King Toryyg, who was close enough to her age to be an older brother, had taken her in when he was made High King, Bryna had been sixteen at the time. Her father, a thane, was killed by a group of bandits while on business for Toryyg. The young Jarl had felt personally responsible for her father's death and made her his ward. It was three years hence and Bryna was now a thane, one of the youngest in all of Skyrim.

"Your mother is not going to be happy when I tell her." Hall told his son.

"I know, and you and she both know it's high time I begin leading my own life. You raised me learning to fight since I was old enough to hold a blade, now I am finally putting those skills to more use than just dealing with the occasional low life near Dragon's Bridge." Raynor replied as they stepped out the doors of the palace and into the cold air. Raynor felt the hair on his bare fore arms stand up in the sea breeze. He could taste the salt in the air and could just barely make out the distant sound of waves crashing against the rocks. He took a deep breath before he followed his father over to their horses.

"However much I wish otherwise, you are correct." His father replied, turning back to him and holding out a small coin purse. "Take this, you are going to need supplies for the road. I will head back to Dragon's Bridge and tell your mother."

"I doubt she will be happy with me." Raynor chuckled and turned to his own horse to check his provisions.

"Raynor" his father caught his arm "I'm sorry for how I reacted in there, you just took me by surprise. Believe me when I say that I'm proud of you for stepping forward like that, it is a brave thing you are doing."

"You know me father, I'm just doing it for the ladies." Raynor joked turning back to his father and grinning.

Hall laughed "And I would join you in a heartbeat but I think your mother would be rather upset with me. It is well past my time for adventure. I have a responsibility to Dragon's Bridge, so part of me envies you." His father smiled faintly "Be careful in that cave, despite what Sybille says, my gut tells me that there is something going on."

"Of course father, but at least I won't be going alone. Do you know anything about Lady Bryna?" Raynor replied solemnly.

"Only rumors, but apparently she has a knack for sword play and from what happened in there, I would say she is almost as headstrong as you are." They both laughed before grasping each other's forearms. "Take care Raynor."

"You too father." He replied as his father climbed into his saddle and guided his horse out of the palace stable and off into the city. He stood there for a moment just watching the citizens of solitude go about their day to day lives so safe and protected inside the cities walls. He was so enthused with the ebb and flow of the crowds that he was startled by a voice behind him.

"Are you ready to head out Raynor son of Hall?" Bryna asked him and he turned to face her. He really was handsome, he couldn't have been more than a year or two older than herself. He had short cropped brown hair, and his eyes were a deep brown with just a hint of green.

"Almost M'Lady, I just need to purchase provisions for the road." Raynor replied, eyeing Bryna's armor. She wore a thin chain shirt with a red surcoat with the wolf of solitude emblazoned on the front.

"No need. My housecarl is currently in the kitchens getting provisions. Do you have armor?" she asked and glanced at his sword and the bow on his horse "You obviously don't need weapons." He replied that his gear was adequate and she nodded. "So we have a few minutes to get to know each other before Jordis will be here. Can you actually use that blade or is it just for show?" she asked with a smile.

"I've used it once or twice M'Lady." He replied returning the smile. "I have already heard of your skills with a blade."

"Yes from what I understand guards and their captains gossip almost as much as old women." She joked, hoping to get more of a response out of him.

"It would seem so M'Lady." He replied with barely a hint of a smile.

"You know it's really not necessary for you to say M'Lady every time you speak." She said.

"Of course M'Lady." Was his only response, he had a completely serious expression. Is he always like this or is he making fun of me, Bryna asked herself.

"So what route would you suggest we take?" she asked, deciding that she would try another approach to learning more about him.

He replied without hesitation "Normally I would say to take the road south to Dragon's Bridge until we hit the pass through the mountains M'Lady. With the recent snow however, we would be better off circling around the mountains and approaching from the west. It will take longer but we won't run the risk of our path being blocked by snow fall and having to double back."

She laughed inwardly, so that's what it took to get him to speak, talking about the task at hand, so maybe he was just always this formal. "So how long do you think it will take us?"

He watched some of the palace servants walk by before he replied "Not longer than three days, two if the roads are clear." What he didn't say was his misgivings that she wouldn't be used to life on the road and so it would take longer. He wondered if her decision to come was just on a whim or if she truly understood what she was getting herself into.

Well that's a start, at least he didn't say M'Lady this time she mused. Smiled before continuing "So how do I know that you actually know what you are doing?" she asked.

He frowned "I have been helping my father keep the peace in Dragon's Bridge since I was old enough to hold a blade M'Lady." She almost regretted the question when she saw the stern look in his eyes. They went from being warm and bright to being cold and almost angry.

"I'm sorry if I have offended you, I intended no disrespect, and I just need to be sure I can count on you." She said quickly hoping to prevent causing any kind of resentment, it worked. His gaze returned to normal and she almost got a faint smile from him.

"Of course M'Lady, I would be worried if you didn't think to ask." he replied, slipping back into his formal attitude. Before she could respond, he gestured past her and she turned to see Jordis exiting the castle with two servants following her bearing provisions.


	2. Chapter 2

The three were now a few hours out of Solitude, they had distributed the supplies evenly between the three of them and had left immediately. Raynor rode in front of the two women, leading them along the road. For the most part, the trio had been silent, only occasionally discussing their task. Raynor was both lost in thought and focused on the road and surrounding trees, watching for any sign of trouble. With the guards and soldiers spread thin patrolling the hold's borders, bandits were becoming more and more active. With no one to stop them, they were attacking merchants and inattentive travelers almost at will with only an occasional reprisal from a handful of people such as himself.

While he was just far enough ahead for them to whisper to each other, Bryna had gone over their whole conversation with Jordis. Bryna, even with so little knowledge of him, she felt that she could trust him to do complete this task and then some. Jordis had as of yet refrained from forming an opinion of the young warrior. "He definitely seems to know where he is going." Jordis whispered to Bryna.

"I definitely got the impression that he has a little more experience than he lets on." Bryna replied. "He has a confidence I wouldn't expect from someone inexperienced." She stated while staring at him riding ahead of the pair. He for sure rode like someone who spent a lot of time on a horse and seemed completely comfortable in his chain mail.

"I would agree." Jordis said slowly nodding and glancing at Bryna. The younger woman was staring at Raynor with a thoughtful expression. "What's on your mind my thane?" she asked.

"I find him…intriguing, there is definitely more to him than meets the eye or that he is willing to show. I'm not sure what it is but I'm interested to figure it out." Byrna replied with a slight smile.

"So it has nothing to do with the fact that he is a young handsome warrior who volunteered for a potentially dangerous duty without prospect for assistance?" Jordis asked.

"Well there's that of course." Bryna responded only half joking.

The older woman smiled and pulled her cloak tighter around herself. She remembered when she had been Bryna's age. There had been this young companion she had worked with to clear out a group of bandits, his name was Vilkas. She laughed remembering the events afterwards and wondering what had become of the man. At the sound of her laugh, Raynor turned back and gave her a questioning glance. "It's nothing" she said with a smile. The young man shrugged his muscular shoulders and turned back to the road. She looked at Bryna and saw a quizzical expression on her face as well. "Just made me think of when I was your age, I found it amusing." She explained.

Bryna smiled and responded "You will have to tell me about it some time."

Jordis smiled "Maybe I will, but the moment isn't really the time." She looked at Bryna again to see that her eyes were once again locked onto Raynor's back. "You could go talk to him you know."

Bryna smiled without taking her eyes off of him, once again looking thoughtful. "I tried once already. As you know, he was rather formal and vague."

She laughed and turned to look at him "Young Raynor, why don't you slow down and ride next to us for a little while." Needing to shout due to the fact that he had pulled further ahead. His only response was to stop his horse and wait for them to catch up to him. He could tell they were having a conversation, so he had pulled farther away to give them space, not wanting to intrude. Once they had caught up to him Jordis addressed him again "Are you always this anti-social, or just when women are involved?" Bryna was surprised that Jordis' comment actually got a grin out of him.

"I'm just not used to having company, normally I'm out here on my own." He responded with a laugh.

"How often are you out here?" Bryna asked him.

He immediately sunk back into his formal attitude "I don't come to the western side of the mountains often, I mostly stick to the east M'Lady. I come to this side maybe once every few months."

Bryna sighed "Must you really address me as my lady?" she asked.

"It is only proper M'Lady, but if it truly bothers you I will endeavor not to. What would you prefer I address you as?" he replied.

"Just by my name if that doesn't bother you." She responded, somewhat relieved. The fact that he spoke to Jordis almost like a fellow warrior but spoke to her in that uptight formal manner was not lost on her.

"I can do that Bryna." He said, enjoying what it felt like to address her by her name.

"Thank you I appreciate it. Everyone is always so formal to me because I'm Toryyg's ward. It definitely gets old quickly." Bryna stated hopeful that he might actually say something about himself.

"I can understand that." He laughed "If you don't mind me asking, why you choose to join me?" he asked, his expression becoming thoughtful.

"For many reasons." She said thinking about how best to answer. "I feel that I haven't earned my title as a thane. It was just given to me, I'm the youngest thane in Skyrim without having done anything to have earned the title so all people see when they look at me is my age." She answered honestly.

He slowly nodded "Believe me when I say that I understand the way that feels." He replied, once again looking thoughtful.

Jordis, who had been just quietly listening to this exchange piped in "If I am understanding this correctly, both of you chose to do this for the same reasons." She said, guessing at Raynor's thoughts.

He gave a humorless smile, still looking thoughtful "It would seem so." He looked ahead of them at the road seeing that it was beginning to wrap up around the mountain and was no longer wide enough for the three of them to ride abreast. "If I have your leave" he said, gesturing ahead of them.

"By all means." Bryna responded and without another word, the young man rode back to his place ahead of them. He once again moved far enough up that he couldn't hear their conversation refocused on the surrounding woods. The odds of them being ambushed by bandits were slim at this time of year, but he didn't feel like taking chances given his current company.

Bryna watched him ride back up in front with a thoughtful expression. After a few minutes she sighed and shook her head. "He has a rather frustrating way of speaking without revealing anything about himself. You can ask him a direct question and he'll give you an answer that seems satisfactory at the time but you don't notice until after the fact that he really didn't tell you anything at all." She said turning to Jordis, looking rather frustrated.

Jordis didn't answer immediately, deciding the best way to answer. "Yes, but I doubt that it's intended." At Bryna's puzzled expression she continued. "Instead of looking at his words, pay attention to what he's not saying. Look at him right now." She said gesturing towards his back. "He's not just riding ahead, look at his posture: he is alert, watchful, yet the way he carries himself gives me the impression that it's not so much a conscious choice as instinct."

"Hmm" was Bryna's response. "Regardless it is still rather frustrating." She laughed "So why did he speak to you in a relaxed manner but be so formal to me?"

Jordis laughed again "Now that I think has a very different reason. I think he is quite taken with you."

Bryna looked surprised and opened and closed her mouth two or three times before just closing it and remaining silent for a while. "Do you really think so?" she asked in a quiet, almost embarrassed tone. The only response Jordis gave was a laugh.

Raynor heard the two women's occasional laughter and couldn't help feeling that they were talking about him, he felt his face flush at the thought. What had he done that they found funny? He shook the thought away and once again focused on the surrounding trees, letting his mind slowly clear itself. After a while he saw that the sun was beginning to dip below the leaves and so he hauled back no his reins, stopping his mount and waiting for the other two.

"We should start looking for a spot to stop for the night, it gets dark quickly out here and we don't want to be on the road after nightfall." He stated and dismounted from his horse.

"You are right of course." Jordis responded following suite and gesturing for Bryna to do so as well. Raynor turned away from them and led his horse into the trees and the two women followed. They wandered through the woods after him as he led them out of sight of the road and found a small depression next to a creek.

"This will do" he said and began to take the saddle off of his horse and tied the reins on a thick branch. The three of them then began to set up camp, Raynor went out to collect firewood while Jordis and Bryna set up the tent they would share. They worked quickly and quietly and by the time he returned, they had the tent set up and had cleared a spot for a fire. Without a word, Raynor started the fire and once it had gotten hot enough, he began to cook a meal using the provisions from his bags. The two women moved to help him and they quickly prepared and ate in near silence.

When they finished the meal, they sat around the fire in silence for a time before Bryna spoke. "When do you think we will reach Wolf Skull?" she directed at Raynor.

He thought for a minute before answering "We covered a lot of ground this afternoon, if our pace holds we will be there by tomorrow evening."

"Well we should start at first light then" Jordis added. "We should keep watch tonight."

"I agree." Raynor responded "I will take first watch." He volunteered, standing and clearing away the remains of their meal. As he worked, he saw Bryna and Jordis talking quietly and then Bryna entered their small tent, having to crawl to get under it.

Jordis walked over to Raynor as he finished and asked "Would you mind we talked for a minute?"

"Why not?" he replied, gesturing for them to sit.

She sat before she spoke "Why did you volunteer to do this?" she asked as she pulled her blade from her sheath and began running a whetstone down its length.

Raynor did the same before he answered "I had a few reasons." He sighed "Part of it is that in Dragon's Bridge I just pick up the crumbs that the guards miss, and well…." He stopped and laughed. "I'm not sure how to explain that one."

"I think I may be able to. You are a young aspiring warrior trying to prove your worth to the world and so spending your time dealing with what the guards don't have time for frustrates you. You want to do something more. Am I right?" His cheeks flushed but he agreed. "I know the feeling, I've been there."

He laughed "I'm sure you have."

She smiled in amusement "You said that there was more than one reason?" she asked.

"Yes I did." His smile faded as he thought about it. "There is something going on in there. I don't know, I just feel it. My gut tells me it's not just superstition, that if we don't go and put a stop to it, something terrible will happen. I have no idea what it could be, but I feel we don't have a choice but to send someone, so if not me, then who else?" he continued staring at his blade.

"Fair enough." She responded, looking concerned. "And if you are wrong and it's nothing?"

He shrugged "Then I'm wrong and it was a waste of time. Honestly though, I feel that wasting a few days to check this out and finding nothing is preferable than not investigating and there being something in there."

"I agree. Though I'm not so sure that if we find nothing that the days would be a waste." She stated with a sly smile and glanced at the tent. Raynor looked confused at her comment and asked her what she meant. "Oh nothing, just a thought is all." She laughed. "Well I will take second watch." She stated and rose to her feet. Before turning in for the night.

Raynor walked a little ways away from the fire so that its light wouldn't ruin his vision. He found a small concealed spot where he could watch the woods and sat down. He watched the trees in silent thought and glanced up at the moon. His thoughts eventually wandered back to the tent, Raynor couldn't help but agree with Jordis, no matter what they found, this trip wouldn't be a waste. He wondered if they both felt that way for the same reason.


	3. Chapter 3

As soon as the sun began to peek over the horizon, the three packed up their camp and led the horses back to the road. Once again, Raynor rode in front, leading the others through the woods. They kept up a steady pace for most of the morning, eating hard rations from their supplies for breakfast as they rode. They stayed silent for most of the morning, talking only when necessary. The sun rose slowly higher into the sky until it was directly above their heads. They were no longer in the foot hills and had made it up into the mountains, they were only a few hours from their goal.

Raynor turned around in his saddle and addressed the other two "Do we want to stop and eat or do you want to press on?"

"That depends, how much farther is it?" Jordis responded.

"Not far, we will be there in the afternoon, we have been covering ground a lot faster than I thought we would. There is less snow than I expected, not that I'm complaining."

"Well in that case, I think we have time for a short rest." Bryna answered "Let's just make it quick, I'd like to be in and out of the cave as soon as possible."

"I agree." Raynor nodded "There is a stream up ahead where we can stop, it's just a few minutes ahead." He said, turning back to the front to lead them on. They followed him up the hill and over the crest without a word and soon enough they came to a small stream running down the side of the mountain. The three dismounted beside the road and set about preparing a small meal.

Barely a few minutes into the preparations, Raynor froze at the sound of a branch snapping and signaled the other two to follow suit. He could now hear someone whispering in the trees, there was at least three distinct voices that could be heard. Raynor silently lifted his bow from where his saddle lay on the ground and pulled three arrows free from his quiver. He fit one onto the bowstring and called out "Step out where we can see you!" he then pulled the arrow back and the two women drew their blades.

The voices stopped and just a few seconds later three men stepped out of the trees quickly followed by another four. All of them were armed with poor quality swords and axes, one held a spear and appeared to be the leader. "You migh' be wanting to put the bow down lad" he said, attempting to look menacing and took a step forward.

"Not gonna happen. I suggest you and your fellows just walk away while you still can." He stated defiantly while Bryna and Jordis moved up on either side of him.

"Can you count lad? There' sev…" his sentence was cut off with a gurgling sound as the arrow drove through his neck and the man fell to his knees. Raynor immediate nocked a second arrow as the highway men rushed towards them and dropped a second with an arrow to the chest. He tossed the bow aside as the men approached, pulling his sword from his side just in time to prevent an axe from taking his head off. He turned the weapon aside and brought his own sliding up under his opponent's arm, straight into his armpit. The ragged man dropped his weapon, howling in agony. Raynor turned to see Bryna yanking her blade free from another's throat and Jordis severing one's head from his neck. Before the last two knew what was happening, Bryna and Jordis were upon them, Jordis slammed her shield into the face of a bearded man before stabbing her sword through his gut and out his back. Bryna knocked the last bandit's blade up and away from herself and slashed her own across his neck and side stepped the fountain of blood that erupted from the wound.

Raynor found himself breathing heavily as his heart rate began to settle. He looked down to find the bandit with the destroyed arm still screaming at his feet. He grimaced and drove his sword point into the man's heart. Then he looked up to see Bryna vomit next to a tree and both he and Jordis walked to her side. "Was this her first?" he asked, looking at Jordis who nodded.

"I'll be all right." Bryna said, standing up straight and looking pale and her hands were shaking. Then she stared down, looking embarrassed.

"Hey" Raynor said catching her arm "Don't worry about it, I lost it too." He said remembering the first time he killed a man. He had been seventeen and the man had been taking and murdering children from all over the hold. When he had caught the bastard in the act, he had killed him without a thought, overwhelmed with fury. After the rage had passed, he had thrown up all over the room. Raynor shook the memory away.

She looked up at him and said "Why do I doubt that?" she asked, glancing towards the man he had just ended.

He followed her gaze and grimaced. "He was dead no matter what, it was either by my hand or the headsman." He shrugged as a gust of wind carried the smell of the bodies over to where they stood and Bryna's skin turned a faint green shade.

While they were tending to Bryna and then to the bodies, they were unaware that they were being watched. Marius watched them from under his black cloak, squinting in the sunlight and his skin irritated by its rays. He was hidden from their view and despite the failure of his thralls, he was completely calm. The key to success would be in killing them separately, he needed to find a way to divide them. He observed them for a while, watching as the young man named Raynor suddenly looked up and scanned the tree line.

Raynor felt that they were being watched. He searched the trees with his eyes but didn't see anyone else. He went back to the work of disposing of the dead bandits unable to shake the feeling. After they had finished dealing with the dead and the sensation had passed, he turned to the other two "We should move on. They may have friends out there who will come looking for them."

Bryna looked at him and slowly nodded "All right lets go." She watched him saddle his horse thinking about how calm he had been through the whole affair. He seemed completely unaffected by the sudden appearance and death of the bandits. She hadn't exactly been afraid, there hadn't really been enough time to be afraid, but she was shaken by the suddenness of it all. Bryna glanced at her housecarl, Jordis had seemed to enjoy the entire event and even now she was grinning slightly. Bryna shook her head, wondering if she would ever be as calm about it as they seemed to be, for now though, she still felt queasy. She climbed on to her own horse and followed Raynor as he rapidly led them away from the area.

The trio covered ground a lot faster in the afternoon, after just a couple of hours of riding, they were approaching the hillside that contained the entrance. As they rode up to its base, Raynor stopped and waved the other two to the side of the road. "This is as far as we can bring the horses, they won't go near the cave." He stated as he dismounted and tied his reigns on a tree. The two women also dismounted and the three started up the hill, it was slow going due to the deep snow on this side of the hill. After almost half an hour of struggling up the slope, they came up over the crest and could see the cave mouth barely a dozen feet below them. They walked down to the cave entrance and as the two women joined him Raynor suddenly froze and put a finger to his lips.

They froze and listened and could faintly hear voices echoing from in the cave "Long have you slept the dreamless sleep of death, Potema. No longer. Hear us Wolf Queen! We summon you!" the words boomed as if they were standing right next to the speaker. Raynor turned to face the other two, and all three went as pale as the dead.


End file.
